Papers
They both share the core philosophy that learning is beyond blame. LCA moves beyond immediate "root causes" (like human error or equipment malfunction) to uncover the deeper, systemic, often hidden factors that contribute to incidents. We call this Latency. It is critical that we seek to understand why the conditions existed for the error or failure to occur. HOP seeks to understand how humans perform in complex systems, recognizing that human error is largely a symptom of systemic issues, not the primary cause. It advocates for moving beyond individual blame to examine the organizational context. Both reject the simplistic "blame the individual" approach and focus on the system instead.
Our organizations are staffed with highly skilled problem-solvers, however, there are times when quick fixes merely mask the underlying causes of issues that can lead to future incidents. We must recognize when it is necessary to go beyond surface-level problem-solving and delve into the root causes to prevent similar problems from arising. The key to organizational success is uniting talented individuals to work as a team toward a common goal. While this may sound straightforward ....
Risk is inherent in all tasks, operations, and personal activities, regardless of routine. Risk is the potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident or event, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences. Risk information enables us to prioritize work.
40 Years of History - Failsafe Network was founded in 1985 by C. Robert ‘Bob’ Nelms. These were the cutting edge days of reliability and root cause analysis. Bob was an Aerospace Engineer at McDonnell Douglas. In the mid 70’s, he accepted a position with Allied Chemical in Chesterfield, Virginia. Allied was an internationally recognized leader in Manufacturing Reliability at the time.
Sharing the details of Latent Cause Analysis (LCA) in our four-day Latent Cause
Experience (LCE) is a joy. Many of you reading this likely have fond memories of the first
time you attended the Latent Cause Experience. One aspect I genuinely appreciate
about LCA is that anyone can use it. It's simple yet very effective. Simple and effective
are winning attributes for any endeavor.
There are many similarities and some KEY differences between Latent Cause Analysis and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). HOP focuses on understanding how humans perform within complex systems and organizations. HOP aims to improve safety, reliability, and performance by designing systems better suited to the people operating within them and fostering an organizational culture that values learning over blame. Here is a list of HOP principles ...